Suite Vénitienne
1. Research a photo-book (select one you have looked at previously in your project) and describe what story/ narrative the book is telling – its subject-matter, genre, style, approach etc.
Story and Narrative – pdf edition and book : The book is a collaboration by Sophie Calle and Jean Baudrillard, though I will mainly focus on Calle’s work and photographs since Baudrillard includes only text in his section of the book. There is another edition of this book, one that solely focuses on Calle’s perspective and story, this is the one I have in hand.,The book follows a very chronological and linear storyline, it is almost written like a diary; Calle clearly documents her day to day observations and doings as she searches for Henri B. The genre is strictly documentary, the approach is rather informal and it remains that way throughout the book as the images are not stages but instead spontaneous. The main subject of her photographs is Henri B, though she follows and photographs a passing flower delivery boy during her search and some alleyways she spent time in. Other than that, the subject and theme is solely focused on Henri B. The book explores her journey and story from the start to finish, starting with the day she first met Henri and ending bitterly with a inevitable confrontation and her decision to stop following the man.
- Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.
it’s light, small and portable. It smells a lot more like a literal story book than a traditional photobook.
- Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.
The images are prominently black and white, the text is also black wirth certain points highlighted in the same blue as the cover. The paper is texture like a story book, very think and cream in colour. The texture of the photographs is a bit rough to the touch though it looks matte.
- Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.
There are 48 pages, the book is A5 and in portrait orientation.
- Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leporello cover: linen/ card. graphic/ printed image. embossed/ debossed. letterpress/ silkscreen/hot-stamping.
Hard cover with an image wrap. Simple swiss binding.
- Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.
“Suite Venitienne” – translates directly to Venetian Suite, which is because this book is set in Venice, Italy. It is set there due to the origin of the story; Sophie Calle had followed a man in the streets one day but lost sight of him, incidentally, she met him at a party that night and overheard he was travelling to Venice. She had decided she would follow him there.
- Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?
Documentary approach, the story is told like a journey or diary that documents what Calle does each day during her search for Henri B. The subject matter is predominantly Henri B. though she does include multiples shots of streets and other people who she either followed in the meantime or were connected to Henri B. It can also be said that Calle becomes the subject. I became interested in her decisions and framing of Henri B. ad well as immersed in her detailed and straightforward descriptions of her subject. Calle tells us that she is in disguise — wearing a blonde wig. She carries a camera with a double reflective lens. In the charged moments when Calle reveals her proximity to Henri B. the act of following becomes a performance and the quality of the relationship between follower and followed reveals itself to be one of a high tension.
- Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.
The design is linear and written entries create a very sharp and clear narrative. Calle describes her feelings, observations and doings to the audience; in a sense, it’s a little unsettling and would make the viewer uncomfortable but it also does not leave them wondering what is happening in each image and the context/relevance to Henri B.
- Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.
The book design consists of a lot of empty space intervals mixed with very filled pages, her entries and writing tends to take up a whole page; even when the writing is very sparse. This is contrasted with an image usually directly linked to the writing, even with that, the images take up the whole page. There’s multiple full bleeds and images that go onto a double spread. Though, there are also double spreads that contain just text.
- Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others. Use of captions (if any.)
The text and images are intertwined and have a distinct relationship. Without the text the images would be very disorientating and confusing – the text allows the audience to understand the images much better. Personally I think the text is really is where the artist shines. The writing is brilliant. It’s poignant and moving, it is also clever while hinting at its author’s various vulnerabilities. It frames the photographs and makes them a lot more interesting than they actually are in that sense.
By implementing these quotes into blank spaces I hoped to utilize the area, preventing it from becoming useless and instead allowing it to serve as a more aesthetic implementation into the book. Below I explored a few ways in which the text could be positioned next to the designated images:
When looking over the text positions I found that the left and right alignment would pose as the best position due to them taking up little space as possible, whilst aligning themselves aesthetically against the side of the photo chosen. The center position however I did not think would suit the design of the book and its layout, this is because of how it did not have any end or beginning to it, leading to an unorganized look which didn’t compliment the environment it would be put in at all. Some examples of how I would like the text to be positioned next to the images can be seen below: 
I found the text to be most effective when looking over various books to be ending as the image starts, this creates an aesthetic effect which does not draw attention from the photos but instead subtly adds a bit of information. I would probably place the text near the top or bottom of the desired page due to the being the most implicit compositions to place it in, as the middle would be to clear. As a result of this I have concluded that the text should be placed in an isolated area of the blank space which does not take away from a photos visual appearance, whilst only being seen when observed closely.
I like the style and colours in the photos that I took because it give a romanticised effect and exaggerates the landscape however the lighting at the time was bad and the photos have a lot of noise. it was also very windy so the camera was shaking a lot this mean the long exposure images weren’t as sharp as I would have liked I want to do this shoot again and improve the lighting. I will also stay for longer and get more images of the actual castle.